How to Publish Writing Online

Last Updated: November 23, 2022

Publishing your writing online is a free, fun method of sharing your work with others. There are often large databases of writers who do this, and you're quite likely to get some helpful critique. Whether you just want to show others your work or get opinions before professionally publishing, keep on reading for some tips and tricks on publishing online.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Finding a Website

1
Decide what publicity you want. Do you want a community, where many professional writers congregate and write? You'll probably want to use a writing community such as FictionPress, which is often used by professionals. Do you want to write as a teen or to a teen audience? Quotev is a relaxed writing community that largely consists of teens, and FanFiction.net - as the name suggests - is a website for only fanfictions, which are popular among teens today. Plus, if you're writing as a teen, Teen Ink is an online writing group for teens that publishes several works in a magazine each month as well. Do you want to write on a private website and only get comments on your work? Start a blog!
- Keep in mind that there are also sites for specific interests that you can write for. If you want to write a fanfiction on a certain topic or write a lot of a certain genre, chances are that you can find a more private website with interested users.
2
Do your research on the site. Starting to write online is a huge commitment, so you probably don't want to just jump in without any knowledge of the website's workings. What do users at this website expect in writing? What is the main audience of the page? Be sure that you'll be getting what you want from the place, as it can be hard to leave once you join and get an audience.

Advertisement
3
Once you're ready, join the site. If you're starting a private blog, the creation process will vary from site to site, but if you're joining a community, you'll usually need to pick a username and password, as well as submitting your email and sometimes, your age.
4
Be aware that publishing online has its dangers. Especially if you're professional, you'll need to set limits as far as how much is posted from your book. Many writers' journals won't accept work that has been published anywhere else, and some publishing companies won't take work that's been published online, either. ^{[1]
X
Research source}

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Publishing Your Work

1
Decide what you'll write and how you'll publish. The most common technique of writing online is to write chapters and publish them as you go along. The writing is often unplanned and casual, and editing happens as you go or at the end of writing. You can also write the entire story and publish it when you finish, although it generates less popularity due to the fact that your article won't appear in "Newly-Updated" lists as often, or write the entire story, edit, and publish the finished chapters one at a time.
2
Start writing. Once you have your ideas in mind and know how you'd like to publish, you can get right to it. It's a good idea to at least revise each chapter before releasing if you're publishing as you go to avoid spelling errors and confusing sentences.
3
Increase publicity. If you're writing online, chances are that you started to get critique, so get it! Invite friends and family to read your work, talk to other users on the page (if it's a community), advertise your account or website, and update frequently. Share your stories on social networks if you can. Get advice from your friends and readers as much as possible.